Back in the last century — when I spent a good deal of my time on the road traveling from gig to gig — we would arrive at the airport, check our luggage and gear, hand in our tickets and board the plane. If the flight were international — whether originating from the United States or some other country — we’d face the scrutiny of some austere border guard as they looked between our passport picture and us. Satisfied that we were who we said we were and that we were not transporting any fruits, vegetables or exotic animals, the guard would then approve our passage with a passport stamp and usher us through to our flight.
Occasionally, one of us longhair musician types would be singled out for a luggage check, but for American citizens of Caucasian persuasion, these searches were cursory at best. My African American and Latin American travel companions were usually scrutinized a bit more, but the American passport itself spoke volumes and was widely respected compared to passports issued from countries other than the U.S.A.
Just having a legal passport issued by one’s country of origin did not ensure unencumbered travel across world borders, as there were distinctions between the passports. During the Cold War after World War II, there were three categories that defined the world. NATO-affiliated countries, such as the United States, along with western European nations and their allies, were classified as “first world” countries while the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and their allies represented the second world. Countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia and those countries that were not aligned with one of the super powers were considered to be part of the non-aligned movement, or third world.
Get in Align
A good portion of the world is made up of countries of the non-aligned movement, and most — though not all — are developing countries with a colonial past. Certain wealthier countries with a colonial past, such as Canada, Australia and the U.S. are, of course, not considered to be third world countries. To clarify, some of the countries that fell into the third world category included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, just to name a few. Traveling with a passport issued from one of the “third world” countries did not guarantee one would be stopped at international borders, but the likelihood of a closer scrutiny and possible interrogation was to be expected. The concern at the time was not related as much to ferreting out suspected terrorists as it was to stemming illegal immigration from those “third world” residents who had no intention of returning to their home country.
With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the classification system changed. While many of the poorer, undeveloped countries are still referred to as “third world,” a country’s designation as “first,” “second” and “third” world has become as archaic as some of the Cold War geographical boundaries. The threat of illegal immigration from one of the poorer countries is still of concern, but since September 11, 2001, the danger of communist infiltration and a war with Russia has now been overshadowed by the menace of “terrorism.” Unlike the communist peril that was attached to a country (with some even wearing distinctive uniforms), a terrorist attack might come with an associated name, but not necessarily coupled with an exact country of origin.
Nutcase Logic
At this point, any dipstick with a gripe can arm themselves with a bomb or a semi-automatic weapon and walk into a public gathering such as a music venue, a movie theater, or an airport and detonate or open fire on unarmed, unsuspecting citizens. Some of the killers are even fellow countrymen who have done tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan in service of their country. Several of these killers grew up as American citizens, and some are immigrants, but while these murderers may or may not have a well-formed reason for ambushing innocents, they can all give weight to their actions by claiming allegiance to one terrorist organization or another; regardless of their psychological issues or political and religious beliefs.
Flying the friendly skies has given way to flying the discomforting and inconvenient skies, and nowadays, even travel by train comes with the paranoid caveat of “If you see something, say something.” Often, the terror comes without any political motivation or alliance, but simply with the horror being wrought by some unhinged demon with a gun and an ax to grind. The alarm caused by these horrible events is not just relegated to the United States, as unsuspecting travelers, concert patrons, moviegoers, shoppers and military personnel from various countries are being targeted for attack as well.
Bring On the Xenophobia
Xenophobia — a fear of foreigners — is quickly becoming a movement, and not just a psychological problem. In the U.K., immigration reform was a big part of the Brexit vote to withdraw from the E.U. as many British citizens feel — whether true or not — that an increased immigrant population is edging them out of housing, jobs and schooling. Here in the U.S., during an election year, people fearful of immigrants illegally entering the country are proposing fortification of our borders by building a huge wall. Then — considering that a good portion of terrorism seems to hail from particular ethnic and religious circles — a proposed ban on people of certain religious groups is being touted as the solution. Bringing our own home-grown terrorism to a head are examples of white police officers killing African Americans as well as African American snipers ambushing, maiming and killing white officers of the law.
We, as a global community, are making a good case for agoraphobia, and the U.S. has issued warnings regarding travel to Bangladesh, Venezuela and Iraq. Meanwhile, due to the climate in America, the foreign ministries of the Bahamas and the United Arab Emirates have issued warnings to their citizens regarding being part of large social gatherings or demonstrations while visiting the United States.
The Audio Connection
Despite this environment of fear and uncertainty, we in the pro audio manufacturing and touring communities persist in our travels and pose the question “What choice do we have?” We need to work and unfortunately, a good deal of that work includes traveling throughout the U.S. as well as many parts of the world. The nature of many audio/production jobs require spending long hours in airports, train stations, hotels, crowded venues/festival grounds, convention centers and expo halls. We need to work, but we are optimists who refuse to be deterred by the negativity of the bad seeds in our society and others. We should not be foolhardy or cavalier in regard to the current climate of world events, but we cannot give into fear. Therefore, since our livelihood is dependent upon our nomadic lifestyle, I suggest that if one is traveling in or out of the U.S. one should stay aware, remain vigilant, non-confrontational and — above all — keep the Xenophobia in check-1, 2!
